Chemotherapy can accelerate the spread of cancer, says study
What's the story
A recent study by a team of Chinese scientists has revealed that chemotherapy can actually accelerate the spread of cancer from primary tumor sites to distant organs. The research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Cancer Cell, explains how this happens by waking up dormant cancer cells. This phenomenon may explain why breast cancer patients sometimes see metastasis in organs like lungs even after their primary tumors are successfully treated.
Research findings
How chemotherapy can negatively affect you
The study found that certain chemotherapy drugs, such as doxorubicin and cisplatin, can trigger the proliferation and lung metastasis of dormant breast cancer cells. The findings offer direct proof of dormancy fading and explain how chemotherapy can negatively impact metastasis.
Treatment improvement
Possible ways to improve cancer treatment
The study not only sheds light on the adverse effects of chemotherapy but also suggests possible ways to improve cancer treatment. The researchers found that certain drugs, when used with chemotherapy, could stop this process in mice. A clinical trial is already underway in breast cancer patients to test this approach.